blog posts

• 

  UIS to co-host webinar on COVID and returning to work

  May 18, 2021 2:30 pm

  The University of Illinois Springfield Innovation Hub, UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership and the Community Health Roundtable will host a free public webinar titled “COVID-19 and Returning to Work: Implications for the Workforce, Women and Work Sectors” at Noon Friday, May 21 via Zoom.

• 

  Team creates new portable COVID-19 test

  May 18, 2021 2:30 pm

  A new coronavirus test can get accurate results from a saliva sample in less than 30 minutes, researchers report in the journal Nature Communications. Many of the components of the hand-held device used in this technology can be 3D-printed, and the test can detect as little as one viral particle per 1-microliter drop of fluid.

• 

  UIS now offering testing to public

  May 17, 2021 2:45 pm

  The University of Illinois Springfield, in partnership with SHIELD Illinois, is now offering free COVID-19 saliva testing to the public. 

• 

  Paper: Sharp decline in women's labor force participation in Illinois due to COVID-19

  May 14, 2021 2:45 pm

  A new paper co-written by a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researcher who studies labor issues affecting low-wage workers finds that almost 40% of working mothers in the state of Illinois lost jobs or were working fewer hours due to the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 

  State invests big in COVID tests for schools

  May 12, 2021 2:00 pm

  P{ublic health officials announced a $225 million plan to subsidize the use of University of Illinois COVID-19 saliva tests at public middle schools and high schools.

• 

  Work-refusal safety laws serve employees poorly during pandemic

  May 4, 2021 1:45 pm

  A new paper from a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign expert in labor law shows that current work-refusal laws are out-of-step with modern workplaces and provided meager benefits to employees who have refused to work when risks involved chemicals, radiation and other microscopic or invisible hazards such as COVID-19.

• 

  Study finds green spaces linked to lower racial disparity in COVID-19 infection rates

  Apr 28, 2021 8:15 am

  A higher ratio of green spaces at the county level is associated with a lower racial disparity in coronavirus infection rates, according to a new study. 

• 

  Study maps COVID-19 health disparities in Greater Santiago

  Apr 27, 2021 1:00 pm

  People up to age 40 living in economically depressed municipalities in the Greater Santiago, Chile, metropolitan area were three times more likely to die as a result of the infection than their counterparts in wealthier areas, researchers report in the journal Science. 

• 

  Study: 2% of asymptomatic pediatric dental patients test positive for COVID-19

  Apr 26, 2021 1:00 pm

  A study by a University of Illinois Chicago pediatric dentist has shown a novel way to track potential COVID-19 cases — testing children who visit the dentist. The study also showed an over 2% positivity rate for the asymptomatic children tested. 

• 

  New reports address COVID-19’s fiscal effects, policy possibilities

  Apr 26, 2021 12:45 pm

  From revenue shortfalls to meeting increased demand for public services, the challenges facing government entities require atypical policies to deal with these issues in the COVID-19 era and beyond, according to new reports from the Government Finance Research Center at the University of Illinois Chicago.

• 

  Maps show the need for racial equity In Chicago’s road to COVID-19 recovery

  Apr 24, 2021 12:00 pm

  The Mapping COVID-19 Recovery Project is the collaborative effort of 25 major Chicago foundations, nonprofit organizations, and public and private groups, including the Field Foundation of Illinois, the MacArthur Foundation, the city’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

• 

  COVID-19 mobility restrictions effective for short duration, study finds

  Apr 22, 2021 12:45 pm

  Attempts at restricting people’s mobility to control the spread of COVID-19 may be effective only for a short period, researchers said. A new study examines people’s mobility for seven months during the pandemic in the United States using publicly available, anonymized mobile phone data.

• 

  Community colleges in Illinois now have option to provide free covidSHIELD tests to state residents

  Apr 19, 2021 1:45 pm

  Community colleges across the state now have the ability to provide the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s (UIUC) innovative, saliva-based COVID-19 test at no cost to any state resident who wants one. 

• 

  K-12 Shield Playbook offers guidance for reopening schools

  Apr 15, 2021 12:15 pm

  A new resource is available to help guide teachers and school administrators as they reopen schools amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, assembled by researchers and experts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

• 

  Study launched to study vaccine relationship to menstrual cycle

  Apr 13, 2021 10:15 am

  Kate Clancy from UIUC and a colleague are launching a study on the COVID vaccine and the relationship to the menstrual cycle after experiencing unusual side effects.

• 

  Program innovates to help prisoners continue to learn during COVID

  Apr 13, 2021 10:15 am

  UIUC's Education Justice Project was able to keep some of its prison courses going through paper correspondence and video instruction during the pandemic, when online learning was not an option.

• 

  Research funding led to COVID breakthroughs

  Apr 7, 2021 8:00 am

  Jay Walsh, U of I System interim VP of economic development and innovation, and Peter Schiffer, Frederick W. Beinecke professor of applied physics at Yale University, write about the value of America's government-university research partnership in an op-ed in The Hill.

• 

  Study: Rapid bulk-testing for COVID-19 key to reopening universities

  Mar 29, 2021 12:00 pm

  A new paper co-written by business professors Gies College of Business professors shows that rapid bulk-testing for COVID-19 along with other standard mitigation measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing were the keys to successfully reopening college campuses during the pandemic.

• 

  Rivian donates $500,000 to support SHIELD Illinois testing

  Mar 25, 2021 10:30 am

  The University of Illinois System received a $500,000 donation from Rivian to support the recently opened SHIELD Illinois COVID-19 testing lab at Illinois State University (ISU), which is located within five miles of the electric automaker’s factory in Normal.

• 

  U.S. Covid-19 supercomputing group evaluates year-long effort

  Mar 24, 2021 5:30 pm

  Members of the Covid-19 High-Performance Computing Consortium on Tuesday spoke on the progress of their initiative and advocated for a formal organization that would be in charge of making computing resources available in the event of future pandemics, hurricanes, oil spills, wildfires and other natural disasters.

• 

  Novel COVID-19 drug blocks viral replication

  Mar 24, 2021 12:00 pm

  Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have identified a potent new antiviral compound that can effectively block viral replication in human cells.

• 

  Saliva test being expanded in Champaign-Urbana community

  Mar 24, 2021 10:15 am

  OSF HealthCare announced a new partnership with the University of Illinois Tuesday that will expand the U of I’s saliva-based COVID-19 test into the broader Champaign-Urbana community.

• 

  Vaccine study now open for student enrollment

  Mar 23, 2021 10:30 am

  UIUC students may now enroll in a study to help understand the effectiveness of vaccines in reducing the spread of the coronavirus.

• 

  Volunteers help Chicago residents without internet connect to COVID-19 vaccines

  Mar 23, 2021 10:30 am

  A UIC computer science student created a volunteer group on Facebook aimed at helping individuals from Chicago's Black and brown communities book vaccine appointments online.

• 

  UIS hosts webinar on COVID-19 & marginalized populations

  Mar 18, 2021 9:00 am

  UIS and the Community Health Roundtable will host a free public webinar titled “Implications of COVID-19 for Historically Marginalized Populations and the Aging Population” at Noon Friday, March 16 via Zoom.

• 

  UIC working to deliver vaccinations to city's most vulnerable

  Mar 16, 2021 10:15 am

  The University of Illinois Chicago along with Protect Chicago Plus have partnered to provide 1,000 COVID-19 vaccines to residents in the Englewood neighborhood, with plans to expand to other city areas with vulnerable populations. 

• 

  Killeen recognizes innovation and work that have kept campuses open

  Mar 11, 2021 12:00 pm

  University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen on Thursday recognized the thousands of staff, faculty and students whose efforts made the challenging 2020-21 academic year not only possible at the three system universities but a model of success.

• 

  UIS hosts webinar on "Getting our Lives Back"

  Mar 10, 2021 10:15 am

  The University of Illinois Springfield Innovation Hub and UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership will host a free public COVID-19 webinar titled “Getting our Lives Back: The Opportunities that Lie Ahead” at Noon Friday, March 12 via Zoom.

• 

  UIC tests Cook County Jail wastewater to catch early outbreaks

  Mar 5, 2021 8:00 am

  On a recent morning, a UIC team, accompanied by doctors from the jail's Cermak Health Services and the Chicago Department of Health, showed NBC5 how they take samples from sewers at six different sites inside the jail complex.

• 

  U of I System receives FDA authorization for covidSHIELD test process

  Mar 1, 2021 12:45 pm

  The University of Illinois System received emergency use authorization (EUA) today from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for covidSHIELD, its innovative saliva-based COVID-19 test that was used on the U of I campuses to hold the virus in check by utilizing widespread testing with rapid results. 

• 

  Wearable sensors catch worsening COVID-19 symptoms early

  Mar 1, 2021 11:00 am

  UI Health employees that have had COVID-19 are part of a clinical trial of a new remote monitoring system designed to catch worsening symptoms before it is too late.

• 

  UIC vaccinating thousands at mass site, students pitch in

  Feb 19, 2021 8:30 am

  An expansive stadium at the UIC campus is serving a new purpose during the pandemic: The Credit Union 1 Arena now operates as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site, offering about 1,000 coveted doses to eligible residents every day. (Chicago Tribune)

• 

  UIS hosts webinar on impact of COVID-19 on youth

  Feb 18, 2021 8:45 am

  The UIS Innovation Hub, UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership and the Community Health Roundtable will host a free public webinar titled “Impact of COVID-19 on our Youth: Learning, Playing & Socializing” at Noon Friday, Feb. 19 via Zoom.

• 

  UI Health leads Chicago in providing vaccines for phase 1B

  Feb 12, 2021 12:30 pm

  On the first day it opened a community COVID-19 vaccination site, UIC and UI Health administered more than 1,600 shots to phase 1A and phase 1B eligible people, representing nearly a quarter of all vaccine doses (23%) distributed in Chicago on that day.

• 

  Cleaning product use affecting asthma more during pandemic

  Feb 10, 2021 12:30 pm

  Those with asthma are experiencing less asthma control related to an increase in using household disinfectants — known asthma triggers — because of COVID-19, according to a survey co-conducted by UIC researchers.

• 

  Safer Community app has roots in U of I testing program

  Feb 10, 2021 12:30 pm

  William Sullivan, a professor of landscape architecture at UIUC, led the team that developed the Safer Illinois app. Since 1992, he said his focus at the university has been on how to create healthier cities. 

• 

  Pharmacies go on hiring sprees

  Feb 10, 2021 12:15 pm

  Maurice Shaw, pharmicist and instructor for the UIC College of Pharmacy, signed on to give out vaccines on weekends in addition to his full-time job, after receiving a flurry of pitches for help. (New York Times)

• 

  UIC nursing students help with vaccine effort in Urbana

  Feb 9, 2021 8:00 am

  UIC Nursing students in Urbana are gaining valuable clinical skills and providing a critical service to the community by helping local public health departments administer the COVID-19 vaccine.

• 

  This is the safest place in Illinois

  Feb 4, 2021 8:15 am

  How the U of I developed its own COVID-19 test and deployed it more than a million times (and counting).

• 

  Retrained generic antibodies can recognize SARS-CoV-2

  Feb 3, 2021 8:30 am

  Researchers at UIC and California State University at Sacramento have developed a novel strategy to train the immunity response to COVID-19.

• 

  UI Health offering vaccines to people in Phase 1B

  Feb 1, 2021 10:15 am

  UI Health is administering vaccinations to patients and some members of the public on the UIC campus by appointment.

• 

  Negative mental health effects of pandemic fade over time

  Jan 30, 2021 10:15 am

  Social distancing policies correlated with immediate increases in interest in information about “isolation” and “worry” – but those effects tapered off two to four weeks after their respective peaks, says a new UIUC study.

• 

  Illinois public universities seek additional COVID-19 relief

  Jan 29, 2021 3:30 pm

  Presidents of the state's public universities sent a letter to Illinois federal legislators today seeking additional relief from increasing costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 

  Precarious employment on the rise long before COVID-19

  Jan 27, 2021 9:00 am

  A study led by a University of Illinois Chicago researcher uses a new approach to measure precarious, or low-quality, employment in the United States. And, according to those findings, precarious employment has increased 9% between 1988 and 2016. 

• 

  Culture shapes willingness to share personal data to reduce COVID-19 spread

  Jan 27, 2021 8:30 am

  Junghwan Kim, a graduate student in geography and geographic information science at UIUC, co-led a study of people’s attitudes toward sharing their geographic data with public health officials.   

• 

  Online smell, taste challenge offered as early detection tool

  Jan 26, 2021 12:45 pm

  A brief smell and taste challenge, developed by the Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research, is a web-based tool people can use to easily monitor changes in these senses using their favorite morning beverage. 

• 

  Illinois tax revenue losses lower than expected during pandemic

  Jan 26, 2021 11:00 am

  The pandemic hit state tax revenues hard last spring when a widely restrictive stay-at-home order was in effect, but much of that early loss was recovered in subsequent months, according to the report from the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

• 

  COVID-19 cases, deaths in U.S. increase with higher income inequality

  Jan 26, 2021 9:15 am

  U.S. counties with higher income inequality faced higher rates of COVID-19 infections and deaths in the first 200 days of the pandemic, according to a new study led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Tim Liao.

• 

  Fast, cheap COVID-19 antibody test developed

  Jan 25, 2021 3:00 pm

  Researchers in Urbana-Champaign have developed a simple, fast, cost-efficient COVID-19 testing system. The test demonstrates great potential for wide applications in diverse working environments.

• 

  UIC experts part of vaccine work group

  Jan 15, 2021 1:45 pm

  Several UIC faculty are members of the Chicago Scientific COVID-19 Vaccine Work Group. This group, convened by the Chicago Department of Public Health, is tasked with independently evaluating whether or not the proper scientific and regulatory review has taken place for authorizing emergency use for COVID-19 vaccines.